1. This was not because the woods and fields were always far away, but because they were too far from the city to permit people to make a day trip between morning and nightfall.
2. He decided to turn his little school house into a dormitory for the summer holidays. Anyone who brought his sleeping bag and cooking equipment along could stay there for a very small quantity of money. The idea was a success. A few years later, the school house was much too small to hold the many young people who wanted to stay there. 3. This was the first hostel(青年招待所).
Today, young students and workers of every country can meet in the hostel and get to know each other. When young people arrive at the hostel, they have only to show their cards of membership in a hostel organization in their own country. 4.
Often, at the evening meal, a group of boys and girls from various parts of the country or world will happen to meet at the same hostel. They may put their food together and prepare a dinner with many kinds of dishes. Sometimes a program will be organized after the meal with dances, songs, or short talks followed by a question period. 5. For this reason, a few weeks spent ‘hostelling’ can be just as useful a part of one’s education as classes in school.
A. In 1970, a young German school master had an idea which changed this situation.
B. People could stay in the hostel if they brought enough equipment with them.
C. One can learn a lot about other places, just by meeting people from those places.
D. As a result, a dormitory was set up in an old castle nearby.
E. For years, children in the industrial areas of Europe seldom left their cities to see the beauties of the countryside.
F. More and more young people went to the hostel for summer holidays.
G. This card will permit them to stay in a hostel all over the world for very low prices.
The oldest stone buildings in the world are the pyramids(金字塔). They have stood for nearly 5, 000 years, and it seems likely that they will continue to stand for thousands of years yet. There are over eighty of them scattered(散布)along the banks of the Nile, some of which are different in shape from the true pyramids. The most famous of these are the “Step” pyramid and the “Bent” pyramid.
Some of the pyramids still look as much alike as they must have been when they were built thousands of years ago. Most of the damage suffered by the others has been at the hands of men who were looking for treasure or, more often, for stones to use in modern buildings. The dry climate of Egypt has helped to keep the pyramids in good condition, and their very shape has made them less likely to fall into ruin. These are good reasons why they can still be seen today, but perhaps the most important is that they were planned to last forever.
The “Step” pyramid had to be on the west side of the Nile, the side on which the sun sets. This was for spiritual reasons. It also had to stand well above the level of the river to protect it against the regular floods. It could not be too far from the Nile, however, as the stones to build it needed to be carried in boats down the river to the nearest point. Water transport was, of course, much easier than land transport. The builders also had to find a rock base, which was not likely to crack(破裂)under the great weight of the pyramid. Finally, it had to be near the capital, or better still near the king’s palace so that he could visit it easily to personally check the progress being made on the final resting place for his body.
1.According to the passage, the “Step” pyramid .
A. is unlikely to fall into ruin in the near future
B. was built on the sand along the Nile
C. is one that was built later than the true pyramids
D. is the most famous of the true pyramids
2. The most important reason why some pyramids remain in good condition is that .
A. people have taken good care of them
B. it doesn’t rain often in Egypt
C. they were well designed
D. the government has protected them from damage
3.Most of the damage to the pyramids has been caused by .
A. the regular floods
B. the dry climate of Egypt
C. people searching for gold
D. people in search of building materials
4.The Egyptians built the pyramids along the banks of the Nile because .
A. they believed in their god
B. it was difficult to find a large rock base far from the Nile
C. the river helped a lot in the transport of building materials
D. it was not easy to choose a suitable place for the pyramids
“Avoid the rush hour” must be the slogan of large cities all over the world. Wherever you look, there are people, people, people. The trains which leave or arrive every few minutes are packed. The streets are so crowded; there is hardly room to move on the pavements. It takes ages for a bus to get to you because the traffic on the roads has almost come to a standstill. Even when a bus does at last arrive, it’s so full, and it can’t take any more passengers. The smallest unexpected event can bring about conditions of complete chaos. The strange thing is not that people stand these conditions, but that they actually choose them in preference to anything else.
Large modern cites are too big to control. People living there are forced by their environment to take a wholly unnatural way of life. They lost touch with the land and rhythm of nature. It is possible to live in such an air-conditioned existence in a large city that you can hardly tell the season. A few flowers in a public park may remind you that it is spring or summer. All the simple, good things of life like sunshine and fresh air are hard to find. Even the distinction between days and nights is lost.
The funny thing about it all is that you pay dearly to live in a city. The demand for accommodation is so great that it is often impossible for ordinary people to buy a house of their own. The cost of living is also very high. Just about everything you buy is likely to be more expensive than it would be in the country. Besides, the crime rate in most cities is very high. If you think about it, they’re not really fit to live in at all. Can anyone really doubt that the country is what man was born for and where he truly belongs?
1. According to the writer, .
A. there is a slogan in every large city all over the world
B. the rush hour traffic is terrible in large cities of the world
C. one should try to avoid the traffic wherever he is
D. rush hour exists in large cities but not in small ones
2. It is unusual that .
A. people can stand the conditions in the city
B. people are used to living in a city
C. people know little about the problems of a city
D. people still choose to live in a city
3. City people can hardly tell the seasons because .
A. there in no such thing as changes of seasons
B. seasons change only in public parks now
C. they live unnaturally without contact with nature
D. the temperature changes little between seasons
4.The reason for things to be more expensive in a city than elsewhere is that .
A. city people have to pay higher to live in a city
B. there is a greater demand for things in a city
C. things are better in a city than elsewhere
D. people in a city are much more wealthy
5. What is the passage mainly about?
A. It’s crazy to choose to live in a large city.
B. City life can be very disagreeable.
C. Country life is better than city life.
D. Conditions of cities should be changed.
These days, many young people in Ho Chi Minh City(胡志明市), Vietnam, are taking gymnastics, dancing or yoga classes after work. Actually, there are many why young people are taking exercise classes and going to the gym, instead of shopping and entertaining friends work.
Nguyen Thu Nguyet, a white-collar worker, says, “Five o’clock is the time when everyone is in the street. If I to go home at that time, I’ll get in traffic. So rather than being in a traffic jam, in smoke and dust, I go to a gym near my office for about an hour. ”Tran Minh Tue, a staff member of a company, also says, “I’ve found dancing is a good way to the non-stop drinking. More , I’m in better health and my stomach has gotten smaller. ”
At present, traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City are very . The government is installing(安装)water pipes, and many blockhouses(木屋)are built for their workers to work in. That the traffic problem. Authorities say that this year, another
57 km road will be up and more blockhouses will be built, the total dug-out road length to 200 km. At the same time, traffic jams can serious air pollution, people’s health and the city’s investment environment, not to mention(提到) the city’s future development.
If more people rush hour by exercising or taking classes the rush hour, traffic jams may be . This is a clever that can also help people improve their health and meet others with similar .
1.A. reasons B. reactions C. actions D. activities
2.A. out ofB. afterC. exceptD. at
3.A. outB. awayC. offD. busy
4. A. manageB. decideC. tryD. refuse
5.A. lostB. thrownC. stuckD. put
6. A. breathingB. giving
C. growingD. breaking
7. A. keep up withB. keep away from
C. keep in touch withD. keep on
8.A. surprisinglyB. interestingly
C. importantlyD. fortunately
9.A. goodB. serious
C. comfortableD. convenient
10.A. improvesB. reduces
C. worsensD. shortens
11. A. dugB. pickedC. putD. given
12.A. risingB. raisingC. providingD. offering
13. A. letB. strikeC. causeD. influence
14.A. affordingB. preventing
C. protectingD. affecting
15. A. limitingB. benefiting
C. predictingD. promising
16.A. avoidB. admitC. attractD. attend
17. A. forB. duringC. withD. at
18. A. increasedB. reduced
C. stoppedD. replaced
19. A. solutionB. search
C. pollutionD. advice
20. A. jobsB. friends
C. equipmentD. interests
Dear editor,
I am a high school student. A few days before, one of my very good friends told me that he was going to stop the school. He said that he want to start his own business. I tried my best to get him change his mind, but failed. I know it is difficult of him to change his mind. He is not doing so good in his studies, yet I want to insist that I give it a try. The process is more important than the results. Now there are only 90 days leaving before the test. I am not sure that his decision is right or wrong. I needed your advice.
I still clearly remember that day. I was on the side of the road for almost four hours with my big Jeep. I put signs in the windows that said, “NEED A JACK(千斤顶). ”
Right as I was about to give up, a truck stopped and a man got off. He sized up(对……做出判断)the situation and went back to take a jack. After about two hours, we finished the job with sweats. We were both dirty. His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in.
I tried to put $20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl, their daughter, where they lived, thinking maybe I’d send them a gift. She said they lived in Mexico. They were in Oregon now so Mommy and Daddy could pick cherries for the next few weeks. After that, they were going to pick peaches, and then go back home.
After I said my goodbyes and started walking back to the Jeep, the girl called out and asked if I’d had lunch. When I told her no, she ran up and handed me a tamale(玉米粽子). I thanked them again and walked back to my car. When I opened the tamale, what did I find inside? My $20 bill! I ran to the truck and the guy rolled down his window. He saw the $20 in my hand, started shaking his head smiling, and with what looked like great concentration said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me. ”Then he rolled up his window and drove away, with his daughter waving to me from the back.
This family, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours to help a stranger while others passed by quietly.
Since then I’ve helped many people like the Mexican family. I didn’t accept money. But every time I was able to help, I felt as if I was putting something in the bank.
1. From the passage we know that .
A. the Mexican man couldn’t speak English
B. the author’s car broke down on the road
C. the Mexican family came to Oregon for a visit
D. $20 was a small amount for the Mexican family
2. Why did the author give the money quietly to the man’s wife?
A. Because the man had refused to accept it.
B. Because the man’s wife needn’t wash her hands.
C. Because the author thought the Mexican family was poor.
D. Because the author thought the man’s wife would take it.
3. The Mexican man helped the author because he tended to think that .
A. it was completely wrong for others to pass by quietly
B. it was quite easy to help the author mend the Jeep
C. it was possible that everyone might get into trouble
D. the author was a polite stranger and needed the help
4. Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
A. He hated those who didn’t offer help.
B. He would send a present to the family soon.
C. He wondered why they didn’t take the money.
D. He considered helping others as saving money in the bank.
5. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The Mexican family lived a richer life than the author.
B. The Mexican family did seasonal work in Oregon each year.
C. The author was inspired to help others by the Mexican family.
D. What made the writer moved was the tamale given by the girl.
